Peterborough Events, Things to Do and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England, UK)

Featuring everything from dragon boat racing and cheese rolling, to an annual beer festival and even an increasingly popular conker championship, the events calendar of Peterborough is certainly diverse. Most yearly events and things to do tend to take place during the summer months, at venues around Peterborough, such as the Exec Exhibition Centre at the East of England Showground, Ferry Meadows and Burghley House, where the annual Burghley Horse Trials is a particular highlight every September.

Each year, the festivals and exciting celebrations staged at the East of England Showground attract almost one million visitors in total, who come here to see events such as the Peterborough Truckfest, the National Shire Horse Show and the East of England Show itself. At the Nene Valley Railway, the Thomas the Tank Engine days are always firm favourites with the children, with spooky evening Thomas Halloween Train specials quickly becoming fully booked.

Peterborough Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015: General Information

The main annual events in Peterborough are as follows:

• Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival - mid-January, at venues in the nearby market town of Whittlesey
• National Motor Show - late April, at the East of England Showground
• Truckfest - early May, the biggest truck event in the United Kingdom, at the East of England Showground
• Stilton Cheese Rolling - early May, at the nearby Cambridgeshire village of Stilton, to the south of Peterborough
• Ferrari Owners Club Spring Picnic - early May, within the grounds of Burghley House
• BMF Show - mid-May, a leading motorbike festival, at the East of England Showground
• Kite Festival - mid-June, held at Ferry Meadows and always attracting large crowds
• East of England Country Show - mid-June, one of Cambridgeshire's largest country shows
• Dragon Boat Festival - late June, along the River Nene
• Peterborough Festival - mid-June to early July, a two-week event including a Mayor's Parade from Rivergate, live music at Central Park and a choir recital at the cathedral
• John Clare Festival - mid-July, with poetry recitals at nearby Helpston
• Just Dogs Live - mid-July, a popular dog show at the East of England Showground
• Battle Proms Concert in the Park - mid-July, an open-air event at Burghley House, with classical music, air displays, cannons, Napoleonic Cavalry battle re-enactments and fireworks
• CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) Beer Festival Embankment - late August, England's largest real ale event, with some 350 draught ales waiting to the sampled at the Embankment on Bishops Road
• Burghley Horse Trials - early September, an international equestrian competition, with show jumping, cross country and dressage
• Peterborough Heritage Open Days - mid-September, lasting for three days and providing the opportunity to explore grand properties usually closed to the public
• East of England Autumn Show - mid-October, an agricultural show suitable for all the family, at the East of England Showground
• Perkins Engines Great Eastern Run - mid-October, with thousands of runners taking to the streets of Peterborough
• World Conker Championships - mid-October, at the New Lodge Fields in Polebrook, near Oundle
• Peterborough Firework Fiesta - October 31st, funfair and fireworks at Ferry Meadows
• East of England Christmas Festival - mid-November, with market stalls, an ice skating rink and various Yuletide events at the Peterborough Exec Exhibition Centre, within the East of England Showground
• Santa Special Train Rides - late November to mid-December, at the Nene Valley Railway
• Crafts for Christmas - mid-December, handicrafts and seasonal gift ideas at Burghley House